Germany-based Schorn & Groh is a prominent leader in the veneer industry. The company’s latest project – an exclusive single-family house in Karlsruhe – exudes the luxury, quality and aesthetic capabilities that the family-run firm is known to bring to commercial projects.
Almost 700m² of high-quality walnut veneer lends cosy comfort to the interior. During the planning phase, the project’s architect, Jorg Detting, and cabinetmaker, Martin Fuchs, made a joint visit to the veneer warehouse in Karlsruhe to look for a suitable flitch that filled their specifications.
The team chose a quality walnut flitch with a straight, uniform structure – without knots or gnarls – for the interior joinery. The veneer sheets measure at least 2.6m long, with a trim line and a homogeneous dark brown colour. Applying the walnut veneer to the tall kitchen cabinet and along the entire gallery railing of 8.5m proved especially challenging.
Schorn & Groh has 130 species of wood and approximately 7 million m² of high-quality veneer in stock, including all conventional woods and many FSC- and PEFC-certified flitches, spliced veneers and other rarities. The Schorn & Groh team is happy to advise customers in the attractive meeting rooms that adjoin the veneer warehouse.
The single-family house with integrated practice combines areas for life and work, resulting in coexistence and solitude under one distinctive roof. The designers underscored the impact of the space by using a limited number of high-quality and warm materials. The mix of slate, walnut wood and luminous white plaster lends the interior a pleasing, elegant comfort.
In his plans, architect Jorg made sure that the family would have enough room to come together and yet space for each member to enjoy alone. Floor-to-ceiling windows let in lots of light and give the interior an open and airy feel. The combined home and practice, with its wavy roof and swimming pond, is a blissful oasis for four.